Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)
  • Relocating to Melksham in Wiltshire
  • mobes
    Free Member

    Wife to be has had enough of the south east and wants to move back west to be nearer to her parents. We’ve settled on Melksham (close enough to her folks without being too close!). I don’t really know much about the place though. So… What’s the cycling like round there? Any recommendations for take always and restaurants too please
    Cheers

    Si

    suburbanreuben
    Free Member

    why Melksham?

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Well, Sustrans Route 403 runs through it, which is good. The town is OK, doesn’t have much going on really, but there are worse places to live. There’s some fairly decent riding to be had on the bridleways and byways around Castle Combe, around Bath, and on the Downs east of Avebury, all around Marlborough, Devizes, including West Woods.
    Grab some OS 1:50k maps and put some routes together.
    There are lots of good pubs and restaurants all over the area, many in various villages, like Lacock, Atworth, Biddestone, Castle Combe…

    knottinbotswana
    Free Member

    I grew up there. Look where I ended up….

    CountZero has it, it’s a good centre for a whole lot of stuff – off-road (through Lacock to Heddington and over to the Ridgeway, into the woods between Bradford-on-Avon and Bath) and on-road (Chippenham Wheelers was our club – time-trials, club rides and audaxing mainly to the north over the M4).

    Consider the villages Shaw, Whitley, Atworth, Gastard, Neston if you like a bit more countryside living(and pubs).

    Not a million miles to South Wales, Mendips, Exmoor…

    Job opportunities?

    If I had to move back there it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

    Edit to add: I don’t know where you live now but I suggest watching Hot Fuzz and Midsomer Murders as a primer.

    roger_mellie
    Full Member

    * waves from Melksham *
    It’s not completely Hot Fuzz territory 🙂 , but prepare to rewind a decade or two. That in itself isn’t all bad, e.g. there is some old fashioned good customer service still to be found on the high street, inc a proper traditional toy shop if you have children/ nieces nephews. But I think the further west you travel the further back in time you go. There are more takeaways than you can shake a stick at – Kings Gourmet has my vote for Chinese. Casa Italian is good meal out. We now have a Costa – how comospolitan!
    The sports/ leisure facilities are slowly being upgraded – new football/ rugby clubhouse and stands being built on the east side of town; plus a new swimming pool, gym and sports hall is on the cards for the centre of town if Wiltshire Council pull their finger out.
    There are quite a few new build developments either just been built, being built or in planning, which you may view as a positive or negative.
    Reasonable access to Bath and Bristol if you need a cultural or bigger retail fix.
    From where I grew up in the SE I was used to year round MTB riding but the claggy clay soil round here is shite in winter, so after persevering for a couple of years I bought a road bike for winter.
    Good summary of off road riding areas from Countzero above. And as Knott mentions, north of M4 popular for road riding, but also some lovely country lane road riding south of Melksham around Devizes.
    If you do end up moving, happy to send you some route suggestions on email.
    Cheers

    mobes
    Free Member

    Cheers Roger, I will drop you an email!

    slowoldgit
    Free Member

    There’s a helpful friendly bike shop, Melksham Cycle Centre. Do spambiking still exist (Salisbury Plain Area etc)?

    Skankin_giant
    Free Member

    I miss Wiltshire, lived in Corsham for about 5 years, would move back in the heart beat, though I love Cornwall it’s one of the few places out of Cornwall I felt comfortable in.
    Some good country to cycle in as well, it was where I started to enjoy singlespeeds.

    Cheers, Steve

    MTB-Rob
    Free Member

    Based in Devizes so not that far away.
    Not a bad area for riding, both road and MTB. Going to go out on a limb and say there is not a lot of singletrack, (there are a few small areas with good trails/singletrack) lots of bridleways, canal paths etc

    SPAM biking is still going, http://www.spambiking.org/Salisbury-Plain-Area-Mountain-Biking/ and do 3 events a year.

    orangeorange
    Free Member

    Fascinating and largely irrelevant Melksham fact-It has its very own UFC MMA fighter,Bradley Scott,pretty impressive for a sleepy backwater town.

    andyl
    Free Member

    I don’t know why but I can’t stand the area. We nearly moved over that way a few years back as the OH got a job there but I felt trapped and isolated. Maybe I just need to be by the coast and the hills I love.

    mobes
    Free Member

    thanks for all the info so far guys!

    ive live by the sea my whole life, thing im going to miss that!

    Skankin_giant
    Free Member

    That’s the one thing I missed living in Wiltshire.

    Cheers, Steve

    Jakester
    Free Member

    I had to go to Melksham the other weekend to drop my son at a kid’s party.

    OP, I wouldn’t…

    brassneck
    Full Member

    Maybe I just need to be by the coast and the hills I love.

    Plenty of lovely hills, but can’t do owt about the sea 🙁

    Purbeck / Dorset coast isn’t so far for a day trip, but it is the main drawback.

    If I were moving back that way I’d go Devizes myself over Melksham

    CountZero
    Full Member

    I had to go to Melksham the other weekend to drop my son at a kid’s party.

    OP, I wouldn’t…
    TBH, neither would I, but I live in Chippenham, which I like as a town, despite some faults of its own. Thing is, the OP isn’t obliged to live in Melksham itself, he’s looking more at the area in general, I think, and even parts of greater Melksham can be appealing, like Semington, which is a separate village, but pretty much self contained being the other side of a bypass, but connected by the Sustrans route 403, and right on the K&A Canal.
    There are many of us locals who take the piss out of Melksham, but I think I’d rather live there than Calne, and going out of the town on the A365 towards Shaw isn’t bad, and Whitley and Atworth are quite nice, Melksham Forest puts you out on the cycle route to Lacock…
    Actually, I think I prefer Melksham to Trowbridge, given a choice. Worth looking around at places like Seend Cleeve, Berryfield, Broughton Gifford, Beanacre, all fairly close.
    Just look at a map, work out the best commute routes, as nothing has been said about employment and distances involved, use of public transport and proximity to stations, etc., which could be a big decider in any choice of house location.
    Melksham is likely to be cheaper than Chippenham, because it’s further from the M4, and it’s not on the mainline London/Bristol railway.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    This may or may not be important, but Melksham has both and Aldi and a Lidle, and an Asda, Chippenham has none of those…

    awh
    Free Member

    Melksham has a Waitrose!

    slowoldgit
    Free Member

    And a biggish Sainsbury’s, and ISTR a traditional butcher who made excellent pies. Is he still there?

    Skankin_giant
    Free Member

    Chippenham is closer to The Quarrymans Arms…. and the Two Pigs….

    Cheers, Steve

    andyl
    Free Member

    The waitrose is tiny and not nice and the Sainburys feels scummy. I like the cat that sits in the entrance to Waitrose to keep warm.

    Semington, which is a separate village, but pretty much self contained being the other side of a bypass, but connected by the Sustrans route 403, and right on the K&A Canal.

    Is that where that the area with the pub is on the canal just by the bridge?

    roger_mellie
    Full Member

    and ISTR a traditional butcher who made excellent pies. Is he still there?

    There are 2 butchers in town and one of them does make excellent pies.

    mobes
    Free Member

    We’ve agreed purchase of a house on the outskirts. I’ve driven through Melksham town centre, and ok I didn’t feel the love for it, it can’t be that bad can It? Ideally I’d have bought a house in steeple Ashton, but can’t quite stretch to that yet.

    cinnamon_girl
    Full Member

    Melksham is similar to a lot of small Wiltshire towns, no better no worse.

    For off road riding you can head NE on a bridleway leading to Chittoe, cross the A342 then pick up minor roads heading for the Wessex Ridgeway, Cherhill Down, Wansdyke etc. Or you can roadie it up to Salisbury Plain which opens up many possibilities. The perimeter track is open all the time and very useful when off road is too muddy. I did join a local club but it disbanded which was a shame.

    Using a car for riding throws up more options such as the Wylye Valley, the Nadder and Chalke valleys. There’s also Avebury, the Ridgeway, Fyfield Down. K & A Canal was a pita to ride due to too many people.

    Always found that cafes and pubs were welcoming despite my scruffy appearance when riding. In fact I’d say that it was good to get away from the poor attitude and road rage of Berkshire and Hampshire. Wiltshire folk were much more amenable.

    Waitrose used to be fine, Sainsbury’s a bit scruffy, Plenty of good farm shops around for decent quality meat.

    A recommendation for MTB_Rob who did a good job of fixing my bikes.

    Steeple Ashton – what a lovely village and never got around to exploring that magnificent church.

    MTB-Rob
    Free Member

    Wow my 30 seconds of fame!!
    Thank you Cinnamon Girl for your kind words.
    Hope you are well and the bikes(you still got Cotic & Kinesis?) are running sweet!

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)

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